Personal Details

This tool is designed to help you make an informed decision when making your bush fire survival plan, such as whether you will leave early, or stay with your property and defend it.

No matter what your plan, it's important you prepare your home and property. This will give it a greater chance of withstanding a fire.

Please enter your address and contact details. This information will be used to evaluate your bush fire risk and send you the details of this assessment. It will not be used by NSW RFS for any other purpose.

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These results have been calculated to assess the risk for your location using information in our mapping system. Check and verify the information below. Consider your home's location and where the greatest risk of bush fire is. Remember that your greatest risk may not be the vegetation closest to your home. The greatest risk may be from fires spreading up a slope near your home.

What is your council area?

What type of vegetation poses the greatest risk to your house?

From the location of your house, where is the vegetation? Downslope Flat Upslope

How steep is the land between your house and the vegetation?degrees

What is the distance between your house and the vegetation? meters

Household Construction

Depending on the age of your property, your home may have been specially designed and built to protect it from a bush fire.

If your home was constructed after 2002 but you're not sure of the level it was designed to, we recommend using a low level of bush fire protection measures. Contact your local council if you want to find out if bush fire protection measures were required when your home was built.

What year was your house constructed?

To what level?

To what level?

Will you cope in an emergency situation?

The following questions will help determine whether you are capable of staying in the event of a bush fire.

If you decide to stay with your home during a fire, it will be physically and mentally demanding. It will be hot and heavy smoke will make it hard to see or breathe.

How would you rate your physical health? Good Poor

How would you rate your physical stamina to defend your property from a bush fire? Remember you may need to defend your home for several hours in extreme heat and smoke. Good Poor

How would you rate your mobility? Good Poor

How would you rate your mental capacity to endure the conditions of a fire? Good Poor

How would you rate your ability to make decisions under the stress of defending your property from a bush fire for several hours? Good Poor

How many people will be defending the property in the event of a bush fire? One Two or more

Are you able to have at least two people defending the property? Yes No

Will the people responsible for defending the property also have responsibility for any human dependents, i.e. young, elderly or disabled? Yes No

Can you include a leave early option in your Bush Fire Survival Plan for residents that are not capable of defending the property i.e. young, elderly or disabled? Yes No

Will the people responsible for defending the property also have responsibility for any animal dependents, i.e. commercial stock, horses, domestic pets? Yes No

Can the animal dependents be moved away from areas of bush fire risk? Yes No

Have you made a plan for what to do during a fire and discussed with others in your home? Yes No

Will you create a Bush Fire Survival Plan? Yes No

Does everyone in your home know what they need to do in the event of a fire? Yes No

Will you discuss the planned actions in the Bush Fire Survival Plan with all members of the household? Yes No

Have you identified a backup plan, in case your plan can't be put into action? Yes No

Will you develop a back-up plan with various scenarios for the Bush Fire Survival Plan? Yes No

Have you identified a location to go to as a place of last resort? Yes No

Can you identify a place of last resort in your Bush Fire Survival Plan? Yes No

Does the person with the primary responsibility for defending the property have experience or detailed knowledge of defending property during a bush fire? Yes No

Do you have the equipment you need?

The following questions will help determine if you have all the equipment required to safely stay and defend your house.

Do you have hoses that reach all around the buildings to be protected? Yes No

Will you make sure the available hoses reach all parts of the structures to be protected and if not purchase additional hoses? Yes No

Do you have spare hoses kept indoors? Yes No

Will you ensure you have a spare hose that can be kept indoors as the fire front passes? Yes No

Do you expect to have reliable mains water during the course of a bush fire? Yes No

Do you have an independent water supply of more than 10,000L? Yes No

Are you able to access or install additional water sources so you have more than 10,000L independent water supply? Yes No

Do you have multiple points where water can be accessed? Yes No

Are you able to install additional water points (tap to water mains or water tanks) to ensure water can be accessed from different parts of your property? Yes No

What type of water pump do you have? None Electric Petrol Diesel

Can you replace your pump with a petrol or diesel water pump that is in a protected or enclosed area? No Petrol Diesel

Do you have metal rakes, shovels, buckets and mops for putting out fires? Yes No

Will you make sure the household has sufficient rakes, spades, buckets and mops for all residents who will stay to defend the property? Yes No

Do you have a battery powered radio with fresh batteries? Yes No

Can you buy a radio and make sure it has fresh batteries before the bush fire danger season? Yes No

Does your house have gutters? Yes No

Are gutter guards present on all gutters? Yes No

Will you clean leaves from the roof, gutters and downpipes and fit quality metal leaf guards prior to the bush fire season? Yes No

Does your house have downpipe blockers for all downpipes on the structure? Yes No

Can you have materials to block your downpipes, (a sock full of sand/soil will help) this will allow you to fill your gutters with water in the event of a fire? Yes No

Do you have ladders to reach the roof to install downpipe blockers and fill the gutters with water? Yes No

Are you able to access the roof by other means or will you gain access to a ladder that is tall enough to reach all gutters to be blocked and filled with water? Yes No

Are roof sprinklers installed on the structures to be defended? Yes No

Are you able to install and maintain sprinklers on all structures to be defended? Yes No

Will you make sure there are goggles, wide-brimmed hats, boots, dust mask, gloves, suitable clothes and woollen blankets for all residents who will be staying to defend? Yes No

Will you be able to source 10L of drinking water per person defending the property?Yes No

Will you make sure everyone defending the property has at least 10L of drinking water? Yes No

Around your home

These questions will help determine if your property is adequately prepared for you to be able to stay with your home.

Your garden landscaping can have a significant influence on whether your home will survive in a bush fire. Having a well maintained garden or property can not only reduce the risk of a fire starting on your property, but can also improve your ability to safely attempt to defend your home from a bush fire.

Whether you decide to leave early, or stay and defend your home, you need to prepare your property. Having a well prepared property will give it a greater chance of withstanding a fire.

Are there trees overhanging the roof? Yes No

Will you cut back any overhanging trees or shrubs and dispose of cuttings appropriately before the start of the fire season? Yes No

Are the branches of all trees around the house more than 2m above the ground? Yes No

Will you cut back any overhanging trees or shrubs and dispose of cuttings appropriately? Yes No

Are there shrubs near to or touching wooden or glass features of the house? No Adjacent Brick Adjacent Timber or Glass

Can you remove shrubs near or touching the house? Yes No

Is there dry lawn or grass present within 1m of the house? Yes No

Can you remove lawns from 1m of the house or ensure your lawns are watered and mown on high fire danger days? Yes No

Is there a doormat that can burn present? Yes No

Will the doormat be moved inside the house on a high fire risk day? Yes No

Are there any woodpiles next to the house? Yes No

Can you make sure all woodpiles are moved away from the house and covered before the bush fire danger season? Yes No

Is there any outdoor furniture that can burn within 2m of the house or on a wooden deck? Yes No

Will the furniture be moved away from the house or deck on a high fire risk day? Yes No

Is there a gas BBQ near or next to the house? Yes No

Will the gas bottle be stored in the garage on a high fire risk day? Yes No

Do the gutters contain dry leaves or twigs? Yes No

Will you clean leaves from the roof, gutters and downpipes before the start of the fire season? Yes No

Are all areas under the house, such as decks, fully enclosed? Yes No

Can underfloor areas be enclosed before the start of the fire season? Yes No

Are all areas under the house, such as decks, clear of litter and twigs? Yes No

Can you clean leaves and twigs from underfloor or underdeck areas? Yes No

Are there any wooden sleepers in gardens within 1m of the house? Yes No

Can you replace wooden sleepers with non-combustible materials such as brick or stone within 1m of the house? Yes No

Is your roof in good condition? Yes No

Will you check the condition of your roof and replace any damaged or missing tiles before the start of the fire season? Yes No

Are there any gas bottles with release valves facing towards the house? Yes No

Will the gas bottle be stored in a protected area away from the house on high fire risk days? Yes No

Are there any flammable liquids stored in sheds within 6m of the house? Yes No

Can flammable liquids be moved to structures that are more than 6m from the house? Yes No

Are there any brushwood fences within a distance of 3 x the height of the fence from the house? No Close Far

Can you replace brushwood fencing with a non-combustible fence material within 6m of the house? Yes No

Are there any wooden fences within a distance of the height of the fence from the house? No Close Far

Can you replace wooden fencing with a non-combustible fence material within 2m of the house? Yes No

Is there leaf or bark mulch in gardens within 2m of the house? Yes No

Can you remove leaf or bark mulch from gardens within 2m of the house? Yes No

Stay or Leave Advice: LEAVE EARLY

Based on the information you have provided, the potential fire exposure is too high for you to be able to safely stay and defend your property. Your only option is to leave early.

Stay or Leave Advice: LEAVE EARLY

Based on the information you have provided about your bush fire risk, your property and preparedness you are not adequately prepared to stay and defend your property. Your only option is to leave early.

It is still important to carry out all possible actions to prepare your property from the risk of a bush fire. This will increase the likelihood of your house and neighbouring houses surviving.

During the assessment you agreed to take additional actions to prepare your house for a bush fire. Please review and print the to do list.

Please read the following information to ensure you have considered what you need to prepare to leave early:

Stay or Leave Advice: Safe to Stay and Defend

Based on the information you have provided about your bush fire risk, you are prepared and have the tools to safely stay and defend your property.

During the assessment you agreed to take additional actions to prepare your house for a bush fire. Please review and print the to do list. If you do not undertake all of these actions you will need to reconsider you ability to stay and defend your property.

Please read the following information to ensure you have considered what is required to safely stay and defend your property:

Be well prepared if you decide to stay.

Based on the information you have provided about your bush fire risk, you are prepared and have the tools to stay and defend your home up to a day of xxx fire danger rating.

Under no circumstances is it recommended that you stay and defend your home under Catastrophic fire conditions

During the assessment you identified additional actions to prepare your home for a bush fire. Please review and print the 'to do' list. If you do not complete all of these actions you will need to rethink your decision to stay with your property.

If you leave early it is still important to carry out all possible actions to prepare your property from the risk of a bush fire. This will increase the likelihood of your house and neighbouring houses surviving.

Please read the following information to ensure you have considered what is required to prepare and stay with your property:

Your email address will be used to save your progress. You may revisit your assessment at any time using the link provided in the email.

Your home address will help us to identify the site conditions at your property

Enter your location in the Home Address text box.

Click "Show on Map".

In the map viewer window, if required, pinpoint your exact house location by dragging and dropping the red symbol icon on the map.

Identify the vegetation around your property (that is able to support a bush fire) to at least 350 metres in all directions from your house. Managed gardens are not included.

Consider each compass direction (normally north, south, east and west) surrounding your home, to ensure you consider the vegetation that is likely to cause the greatest risk.

Vegetation Types

Forests

Open tree canopy dominated by eucalypt species (typically >10m in
height) with crowns that touch or overlap. Canopy allows most sunlightto
penetrate supporting growth of a prominent understorey layer varying
between hard-leaved shrubs to luxuriant soft leaved shrubs, ferns and
herbs.

Woodlands

Dominated
by an open to sparse layer of eucalypts with the crowns rarely
touching. Typically 15-35m high (may be shorter at sub-alpine
altitudes). diverse ground cover of grasses and herbs. Shrubs are
sparsely distributed. Usually found on flat to undulating ground.

Shrubby
vegetation less than 2 metres in height. Often more open in canopy.
Principal plant species include banksias, spider flowers,
wattles,legumes, eucalypts, tea-trees, paper barks, sheoaks, grass
trees, cord rushes and sedges. Grasses are scarce. Not found in arid and
semiarid locations.

Rainforests

Closed
and continuous complex tree canopy composed of relatively soft,
horizontally-held leaves. Generally lacking in eucalypts. Understorey
typically includes ferns and herbs. Vines often present in canopy or
understorey. Occur mainly in areas that are reliably moist, mostly free
of fire and have soils of moderate to high fertility. Typically coastal
and escarpment locations.

Grasslands

Dominated
by perennial grasses and the presence of broad-leaved herbs on flat
topography. Lack of woody plants. Plants include grasses, daisies,
legumes, geraniums, saltbushes and copperburrs.

What is the type of slope between your house and the bush fire hazard? If the vegetation is downhill from your property, the bush fire hazard is downslope. If the vegetation is up the hill from your property, the bush fire hazard is upslope.

The slope of the land influences the speed that a fire will travel. Fire will travel faster and with greater intensity uphill because vegetation in front of the fire is pre-heated and will more readily ignite.

The slope you enter needs to represent the slope that will have the greatest influence on the bush fire behaviour. The effective slope needs to be considered over a distance of at least 140m from the building site towards the vegetation in each direction from your home.

Measure (in metres) the distance between your home and the vegetation that presents the greatest bush fire risk This is the distance to the vegetation that will carry a fire, it is not necessarily the nearest tree. You can use a tape measure, or you can step the distance. One large adult step equals approximately 1 metre.

If your home is in Bush Fire Prone Land and has been constructed since 2002 then special planning provisions for bush fire should have been applied. Houses constructed prior to 2002 are unlikely to have any bush fire specific measures. The terminology used for different construction levels has changed over the versions of the Australian Standard - Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas and Planning for Bush Fire protection.

AS 3959-2009 Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas uses the level of bush fire attack corresponding to the relevant radiant heat flux on the proposed building. The levels are described as BAL-LOW, BAL-12.5, BAL-19, BAL-29, BAL-40 and BAL-FZ.

Physical health is important as the conditions of the fire may exacerbate existing ailments, such as respiratory conditions that may make it difficult to defend your property for an extended period of time.

Residents need to be able to extinguish spot fires as the fire front passes. In bush fire conditions you will be required to move in and about your house looking for spot fires. If a spot fire develops you will need to take action to prevent its spread and development into a larger fire. This will require intense physical activity that may be required for a number of hours.

Good mobility is required to move around your property to extinguish any spot fires that start and to move to the place of last resort if necessary. It may be dark, windy and noisy making it even more difficult to move around.

Residents must be mentally capable of working in intense conditions. Stress and anxiety may impair the ability to make safe and rational decisions. You will need to anticipate how you and others might be thinking, feeling or behaving if you are threatened by bush fire.

During bush fires, many people experience some degree of anxiety and fear. It can get dark,visibility may be poor and it is frightening. Burning embers can cause spot fires on the property. The sound of a roaring fire approaching, firefighting operations and general confusion during bush fires can be very frightening and unnerving for some people.

A bush fire can be a terrifying situation. It will be dark, noisy and extremely physically and mentally demanding. Your ability to make informed decisions will continue to be critical throughout the experience.

There are many reasons why it is unsafe to defend a property on your own.

Injury - activities associated with defending your home are dangerous and you may be injured. If you are injured you may not be able to continue active defence, you may need medical attention or you may need assistance if you decide to leave to a safer place.

Workload - as the fire front passes the amount of spot fires may be significant and the workload may be too great for one person. As your attention is taken in one location, issues may be occurring on other locations on your property.

Assistance with decision making - having more than one person present will allow decision making to be shared.

It is preferable to have no dependents present while defending your home. Your attention will be split between defending property and ensuring the safety and well-being of the other occupants in the house. Dependents may also be at increased risk if there is a need to escape to a place of last resort. Older children, immobile, elderly and pets could shelter in the house if it is built and maintained to a suitable construction standard. However, infants should not be present without additional residents due to their requirement for constant supervision.

It is preferable to have no animal dependents present while attempting to defend a home. Your attention will be split between defending property and ensuring the safety and well-being of the dependents. Livestock may also require you to move away from your home potentially exposing you to a higher risk.

Preparing a Bush Fire Survival Plan prior to the fire season is vital as it guides the decision making processes on the day of a fire. The most important decision is whether you and your family will Leave Early or if you will Stay and Defend your well prepared home.

The plan should identify actions and assign roles to all individuals in the household, whether they are staying to defend or leaving early. A survival plan should also account for multiple contingencies due to the highly variable nature of bush fire, such as fallen trees or power lines resulting in closure of potential escape routes, fires approaching the property from an unexpected direction, failure of equipment such as water pumps and hoses, and resident(s) not being at home when the fire starts.

What you will do if you have no time to leave and a fire threatens you,

what if local roads become unusable,

what happens if the children are home alone or if it is a weekday versus a weekend, or if you are unwell

A key component of any Bush Fire Survival Plan is an identified means of exiting the property and travelling to places of last resort safely. Neighbourhood Safer Places are buildings or open spaces that are away from bushland and can provide some protection from the immediate threat of a bush fire. Other examples of places of last resort may include a beach, sports oval, gravel or concrete car park, cleared paddock, or a well-prepared building - all of which should be away from vegetation. If you cannot identify a place of last resort, it is considered too risky to stay and attempt to defend your property regardless of the exposure.

Having the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience about how to effectively prepare your property and suppress spot fires around and on your property is a huge advantage.

This experience may be as a fire fighter, previous fire experience in your area or participation in community events about bush fire risk and safety.

Due to the inherent dangers the fire environment presents, residents attempting to defend their property from bush fire must have adequate equipment and clothing to protect themselves from injuries.

Goggles are required to prevent smoke and fine particles from entering or irritating the eyes.

A helmet or wide-brimmed hat can stop embers from dropping onto your head or down the back of your shirt. and protect against radiant heat.

Dust masks or non-sythetic cloth to cover your nose will protect you from inhaling smoke, ash and embersprevent and minimise the risk of respiratory problems.

Clothing including long pants and a long-sleeved shirt made from low flammability materials such as thick cotton, wool or denim is needed to protect the skin from embers, radiant heat and flame exposure.

Gloves can protect the skin from burns and allow residents to move fallen debris away from the built structure.

Boots are required to protect the feet from embers, radiant heat, flames and falling debris.

A wet woollen blanket should be available to cover each resident as protection from radiant heat and flame contact if required.

To defend your property from bush fire you must have adequate equipment. These tools allow an alternative to using water and can be more effective in extinguishing small fires.

Rakes and spades can be used to put out embers and create breaks in fuels to contain the spread of small fires within the grounds.

A bucket of water and a mop is an effective means of extinguishing small fires that start from embers that fall within the grounds.

On days of increased fire danger keep yourself informed. Get into the habit of paying attention to your local radio and TV stations as actions in your Bush Fire Survival Plan may be triggered by a variety of sources, such as actual visual cues (smoke or flames), television, social media or radio. While television and social media rely on power sources, which may be lost during a bush fire, a battery operated radio will continue to work under most circumstances. For this reason, a battery operated radio is included as a necessity for all residents in fire risk areas

Garden hoses must be long enough that they would be able to assist with suppressing a fire near or in any part of your house.

It is important to have multiple points where water can be accessed, this will allow the least affected tap or tank to be used if one point becomes damaged or is engulfed by fire.

It is important to have spare hoses stored inside your house in case of damage caused as the fire front passes (e.g. melting).

A reliable mains water supply is rare. It occurs when the water supply can be guaranteed during the course of the fire even if there is a power failure. An example of where this may occur is when the town water supply is of a higher elevation than the town and gravity will ensure there is sufficient pressure for the taps and hoses. However, high demand during a fire may reduce water pressure below useful levels.

If you have access to static water (such as a tank, dam or bore) a pump is required to use this water in active fire fighting activities. Electric pumps are generally not considered suitable due to the high potential for power failures during a bush fire. The most suitable pump is a diesel pump, due to the lower flammability of the fuel, alternatively petrol pumps are considered adequate in areas of lower bush fire risk.

Controlling a fire on your property relies on having sufficient water, an appropriate system to store and transport the water and basic tools. A conservative estimate of a minimum of 10,000L of water is required to safely attempt to defend a house. The size of your house, the landscape around your property and the type of water delivery systems used will also influence this.

Gutters are a common source of ignition for houses. There are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk of a fire starting in your gutters. The first is to simply not have gutters on the roof, thereby eliminating the potential for the problem to occur. However, this needs to be balanced against the issue of storm water drainage in other seasons.

Properly installed gutter guards are a fine mesh which prevents the accumulation of litter in the gutters. It is recommended that metal wire gutter guards are installed in bush fire areas as in the event of a fire these will also reduce the risk of embers being able to ignite any leaf material that may be in the gutter.

When a fire is approaching residents should block down pipes (a sock full of sand/soil will help) and use hoses to fill the gutters with water. This will reduce the risk of embers being able to ignite any leaf material that may be in the gutter.

Ladders or other roof access is required to block down pipes and fill gutters (unless they are remotely controlled). An able-bodied resident must also be present to fill the gutters. To do these tasks it is recommended that you stay on the ladder and do not get on the roof. During a bush fire more injuries normally occur from people falling off roofs than from burns.

Sprinklers can reduce the likelihood of embers collecting or entering the roof and igniting the house. Sprinklers systems, including pipes and connections should be made entirely of metal, as any plastic connections may melt and cause the entire system to fail.

Dehydration is a serious concern and residents must have 10 litres of drinking water for every person who will stay and defend the property. Residents should not rely on mains water for drinking water as this can be lost during a bush fire.

A bush fire can easily move across a dry lawn towards your house. Removing dry lawns to bare earth or maintaining a green lawn within one metre of your house can reduce this risk.

Leaf or bark mulch will catch on fire easily from embers and should not be within two metres of the house. A thick layer of mulch can burn for a long time increasing the risk of the fire spreading to the house nearby. Bare earth, gravel or decorative stones may be a more suitable alternative.

Shrubs can ignite and should not be within two metres of the most vulnerable parts (eg any wooden or glass elements) of a house.

Combustible fences have the potential to transport fire quickly across a property and to transfer significant heat impact to your home potentially igniting it. A brushwood fence can create a six metre high flame from a standard two metre high fence. Fences near the house should be replaced with non-combustible material.

Combustible fences have the potential to transport fire quickly across a property and to transfer significant heat impact to your home, potentially igniting it. Fences near the house should be replaced with non-combustible material. A two metre high fence should be at least two metre away from the house.

Wooden sleepers used as garden edges or retaining walls can provide a source of ignition and burn for an extended period of time once alight. Combustible landscape features should not be within one metre of the house.

A combustible doormat can readily ignite from embers and then ignite adjacent timber doors, doorframes or decks. As with furniture, moving the doormat away from the house (or inside on days of high fire danger) will reduce your risk.

Objects immediately surrounding a house, such as vehicles, rubbish bins, and woodpiles can significantly influence the exposure of the house to bush fire. These items are usually dry and may be relatively ignitable by embers. Once they have ignited they may be difficult to extinguish.

Outdoor furniture is often made of combustible materials and represents a significant fire risk if it is within two metres of a structure or situated on a wooden deck. Embers can cause outdoor furniture to ignite and the heat or flames may ignite the house or deck. The risk from outdoor furniture is minimised if it is moved more than two metres from the house or decks.

Gas bottles can be explosive if they are damaged or fail for some other reason. They can therefore be unsafe for residents to be near while defending their property. Gas bottles that fall over and continue to be heated have the potential to explode. Gas bottles associated with barbecues should be removed from the barbecue and stored upright on stable ground in an open area well away from other heat sources with the pressure relief valve facing away from other structures and evacuation paths. Storage of these bottles in sheds or on or under decks is not advised if they are near the house.

Fixed gas bottles must be well-secured and have the release valve facing away from built structures so that if it vents (releases the gas) it does ignite the structure or surrounding items.

Flammable liquids, such as paint and petrol, are difficult to put out once alight. The safest manner is to store these liquids in a garden shed greater than six metres from the house.

An appropriately maintained property needs to minimise fine fuels (i.e. leaf litter and twigs). Dry fine fuels are a high risk as they will more readily ignite if exposed to embers during a bush fire. These fuels pose the greatest risk when they occur on or adjacent to flammable elements of the house. The removal of fine fuels from underfloor or underdeck spaces is required to prevent the burning litter starting a fire that can transfer to the house.

Houses and decks that do not have spaces underneath are likely to have fewer leaves and litter accumulate. Any litter is present is less likely to ignite as it is less likely that embers can get into these spaces.

A gap of two metres is recommended between tree branches and the ground, which includes clearing of shrubs. This gap is intended to prevent the transfer of flames into the tree canopy and any resulting crown fire which cannot safely be fought by residents. Some bark types can carry flames as well, so plants with smooth (non-ignitable) barks are recommended.

Maintaining the roof to prevent the accumulation of fine fuels and prevent embers from penetrating the roof structure is important. The roof needs to be free from gaps or holes to be in good condition.

A well maintained house must have a gap between the canopies of trees and the house. Trees close to the house pose the greatest risk when they are near flammable or vulnerable elements of the house such as windows.. Overhanging trees will also drop dry fine fuels (i.e. leaf litter and twigs) and this litter poses high risk as they will more readily ignite if exposed to embers during a bush fire.

A well maintained house needs to manage the accumulation of leaf litter and twigs in gutters and have a gaps between the tree canopies and the property). Dry fine fuels pose a high risk as they will more readily ignite if exposed to embers during a bush fire. The removal of fine fuels from roof valleys, gutters, underfloor or underdeck spaces is required to prevent house ignition.

Bush Fire Danger

Based on the information you have provided, the potential fire exposure is too high for you to be able to safely stay and defend your property. Your only option is to leave early.

Detailed Report

To Do List

Terms and Conditions

The NSW Government is committed to enhancing public safety by reducing the impact of bush fires. The Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool is provided by the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) to help you to assess your household's level of risk from a bush fire and make informed decisions about the safety of your household.

NSW RFS provides the Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool as a source of information only and on the understanding that you exercise care and skill when you use it. The information provided about your household's level of risk from a bush fire is based on the best available spatial information, your validation of this data and the data you provide. It cannot take in account information that you do not enter.

NSW RFS does not accept any responsibility for how you apply, interpret or rely on the information provided by the Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool . You should obtain further advice if you are uncertain about how any of the information provided, including the assessment outcomes applies to you or if it does not fully reflect your situation. Everyone's bush fire survival plan will be different, depending upon your circumstances.

The Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool does not provide assessment for fires burning under Catastrophic fire weather conditions. Under those conditions, you are advised to leave early as this is the best and safest option.

The Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool is not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, the ultimate and complete source of information on any particular topic. The information provided on the NSW RFS site, is provided on the basis that people who use the site take responsibility for assessing the relevance, completeness, currency and accuracy of its content.

NSW RFS cannot warrant and does not represent that the material which appears on the NSW RFS site or any linked sites is complete, current, reliable and/or free from error. The RFS does not accept any responsibility or liability (including, without limitation, liability for negligence) for any loss, damage, cost or expense you might incur whether directly or indirectly as a result of the use of or reliance upon the information which appears at this or any linked sites, for any reason or as a result of the information being inaccurate, incomplete or unsuitable for any purpose. Linked sites are provided for convenience only.

Welcome Back

Welcome back to the NSW Rural Fire Service Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool.

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